MEEKER | In the final week of the regular season, the Cowboy wrestling team will host the Meeker Duals Saturday, before the state-qualifying regional tournament held the following weekend. The Cowboys wrestled and beat Paonia in a dual last Thursday in Palisade but lost to the host team. Rifle came to Meeker Tuesday for a dual, which was won by the Cowboys 48-24.
The Cowboys lost 33-35 to the 3A Palisade Bulldogs, then beat the No. 3 ranked 2A Paonia Eagles 42-36, where all 11 matches wrestled, were won by pin fall. It should be noted, the Eagles were missing two top ranked wrestlers (Grey Neal and Anthony Felice).
“We didn’t wrestle particularly well in either dual,” Meeker head coach J.C. Watt said. “Paonia had a couple of good kids out, we won on the scoreboard but didn’t wrestle well. We still have some things to work on.”
Kesston Hobbs (182) and James Amick (195), both pinned their Palisade opponents and Tyson Portwood won an exciting 12-11 match at 132, in the first dual.
Against the Eagles, Amick recorded his second pin of the night and Portwood got his first, as did Ty Goedert (106), Charles Curry (126) and Colby Clatterbaugh. Both Palisade and Paonia moved their 145-pounders up a weight class to avoid wrestling Meeker’s number one ranked Tannen Kennedy.
The Cowboys still have a couple of weights where their varsity wrestler is yet to be determined but varsity team should be set by the Saturday.
Basalt, Coal Ridge, Glenwood Springs, Grand Valley, Palisade, Rifle and Soroco will be in town this Saturday for the Meeker Duals, which start at 10 a.m.
By Bobby Gutierrez | Special to the Herald Times
